


Boy Friend/Boyfriend

by charliewrites



Category: Lovely Little Losers, Nothing Much to Do
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Family, M/M, Pining, Wedding, fake dating au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:09:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6415747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charliewrites/pseuds/charliewrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Balthazar agrees to pretend to be Peter's boyfriend at Peter's cousin's wedding. It's just for a weekend, right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sucker for Fake Dating AUs.  
> A few things: For the sake of the story the rules never existed and Ben never got back into vlogging. Also Pete got over himself over the winter in regards to the whole "forgiving himself" thing.

It was a Wednesday night and Balthazar and Peter were in the living room watching Community. Ben and Freddie were out with each their study groups so Peter had suggested he and Balthazar should take advantage of having the living room to themselves. They were on a couch each, watching on Peter’s laptop which was on the coffee table. It was nice without having Ben make suggestive comments at them every two minutes in between friendly bickering with Freddie.

However, Balthazar was becoming increasingly aware of Peter’s eyes resting on him instead of the screen. He was trying to act like he didn’t notice but it was driving him mad. 

‘So my cousin’s getting married this Saturday’ Peter suddenly said, prompting Balthazar to turn and look at him. He looked nervous. 

‘Good for her…?’ Balthazar said, confused as to why this was something he needed to know. 

‘Yeah, it’s happening in Napier so I’m leaving Friday and won’t be back until Sunday afternoon’ Peter said. ‘The thing is…’ he screwed his eyes shut. ‘Ikindatoldmyauntthatihadaboyfriendandnowshesexpectingmetobringhimtothewedding’

It took Balthazar a moment to decipher what Peter had said. When he had, his eyes grew wide. 

‘Peter Adrian Donaldson, you better not be asking me what I think you are asking me’ he said.

‘Please, Balthy! I’d ask Ben but he’s going back to Auckland to visit Bea this weekend, and you _know_ Costa would overdo it and blow our cover!’ Peter pleaded. ‘Besides, I’d really like to spend a weekend with you’

Balthazar’s chest fluttered but he couldn’t just give in this easily. The thought of spending an entire weekend with Peter constantly by his side was both exhilarating and terrifying. ‘What if I have plans this weekend?’

‘…Do you?’ Peter asked sheepishly. 

Balthazar tried to come up with something on the spot, but the look in Peter’s eyes made him cave. ‘No’ he sighed. 

‘So you’ll do it?’ Peter asked excitedly.

‘Sure’ Balthazar gave in. ‘But you owe me. Big time’

‘Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise to make it up to you!’ Peter said, relief plastered all over his face. 

Balthazar couldn’t help but smile at the way Peter’s whole body seemed less tense as they both returned their attention to the laptop on the coffee table.

-

‘This is a terrible idea’ Paige said and leaned back in her seat when Balthazar was done telling her about the night before. They were at their weekly coffee “date” at Boyet’s after their music theory lecture.

‘I know it is’ Balthazar sighed. He’d barely slept the night before when it had hit him what he’d actually agreed to. He’d definitely not thought about the consequences when he’d agreed.

‘I don’t know’ said Kit who was on his break and had joined them to hear Balthazar’s story. ‘I mean, just last week you said you’d basically resigned yourself to the fact that nothing ever was going to happen with him, right? This might be a way to get some things out of your system before you can start moving on’

‘Or it could be a gateway drug and you’ll come home an even bigger mess than you are right now’ Paige said, looking Balthazar in the eye. 

He mulled their words over in his mind for a minute. He hadn’t thought of it the way Kit had put it but he’d definitely spent a good portion of the night stressing over Paige’s point. 

‘I don’t know. But I can’t back out now, we leave tomorrow and I’m pretty sure I heard him mention me coming to his mum this morning. He’s still my best friend; I want to help him out’ Balthazar sighed and sipped his coffee. 

Kit and Paige shared an amused look at the accidental innuendo Balthazar had made. 

‘Oh, my god, get your filthy minds away from me!’ Balthazar groaned but couldn’t help but laugh a little himself. 

-

When he was walking home that afternoon, the cool spring breeze gently blowing against his face, he felt his phone buzz in his jean pocket. He pulled it out and checked the message.

John Don:  
_Please tell me Peter was joking just now when he told me you are going to be his pretend boyfriend for the wedding this weekend._

Balthazar couldn’t help but laugh a little. It wasn’t that he’d told John about his feelings for Peter; he’d guessed along with everyone else. Except John had talked to him about it. Since he’d started on his path for redemption he’d become quite the confidant to Balthazar. They could relate to each other; they were both the quiet, introverted types and they both loved Peter – albeit in different ways. What Balthazar really liked about John was that, even though he knew about Balthazar’s feelings for Peter, he had yet to meddle in their relationship – except maybe for that one time in Hero’s room with Ben, but Balthazar was still unsure as to whether that had been planned or not. 

In truth, John had become a little like a brother to Balthazar himself.

Balthazar:  
_No joke. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine as long as you don’t blow our cover. It’s just for a weekend :)_

He’d been alternating between panicking and being alarmingly calm about it all day, and after the talk with Paige and Kit, he was back to being calm. What Kit had said had resonated with him. Maybe he was right. Maybe this was an opportunity to get some things out of his system that he was convinced he wouldn’t be able to otherwise. Maybe getting to act on his urges to show Peter affection would even abolish the need in the future, though Balthazar hadn’t quite convinced himself of that yet.

His phone buzzed again. 

John Don:  
_If you say so._

Balthazar:  
_I do say so. See you tomorrow :)_


	2. Chapter 2

Friday morning, Balthazar woke up to his heart beating fast. For a moment he thought he was having a heart attack before he remembered his promise to Peter. He was nervous. Of course he was. By that afternoon he’d be walking around some unknown place, probably holding hands with Peter and being introduced as Peter’s boyfriend. The mere thought made him lightheaded and a tiny bit nauseated, and he hadn’t even allowed himself of thinking that there was a possibility that Peter was going to kiss him. 

He had a morning lecture so he got up, got dressed, and went to the kitchen to fill his travel mug with coffee. Luckily, someone – most likely Freddie – had already brewed a pot with a post-it on it that let him know it was free to take – a thing Freddie had insisted on after one too many fights about whether or not brewed coffee was a free-for-all thing. 

He heard Peter shuffling into the kitchen as he was filling up his travel mug. When Peter put his mug beside Balthazar’s, he obligingly filled that one too. 

‘Good morning’ he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

‘Morning’ Peter replied after his first sip of his own mug of coffee. ‘You ready for this weekend?’

‘Yeah, I think I’m all packed. How formal is the thing tonight?’ Balthazar asked, screwing on the lid of his travel mug and grabbing an apple from the fridge. 

‘Oh, it’s just the immediate family, so I think a nice shirt and a pair of jeans will do’ Peter said, frowning at his mug as he tried to make his brain work properly that early in the morning. 

‘Right, thanks. What time do we leave again?’

‘Noon. We could leave later but then we won’t have any down time at the hotel before the dinner’ Peter replied and Balthazar felt a wave of affection flowing through him. He knew that Peter wouldn’t actually need the down time, but Balthazar most definitely would. It would stress him out too much if he had to leave the hotel as soon as they’d arrived. The fact that Peter had planned around this made Balthazar’s insides melt a little bit.

‘I’ll be sure to be ready by noon, then’ Balthazar said with a smile before hoisting his book bag on his shoulder. ‘See ya’ he said and left for his lecture. 

-

Five minutes to noon Balthazar had five of his nicest shirts laid out on his bed, trying to decide which one he was going to bring when Peter knocked on his door and let himself in. 

‘You ready?’ he asked, quirking an eyebrow at the shirts laid out on the bed. 

‘Yeah, I just need to decide on a shirt for tonight. Oh, and should I bring my guitar?’ Balthazar asked. Peter laughed a little at him, shaking his head. 

‘Take the blue one, that way we’ll match. And _obviously_ you should bring your guitar’ Peter told him. Balthazar narrowed his eyes at Peter. 

‘You’re going to wear the one with the flowers, aren’t you?’ he asked, already knowing the answer. 

‘Uh, yeah, I am. What’s wrong with that?’ Peter asked, suddenly looking nervous. 

‘Nothing’ Balthazar said and smiled to himself. Ben had once called the shirt with the blue flowers “Peter’s impressing Balthazar shirt”. 

He grabbed the black shirt, folded it and put it in his bag. ‘We’ll still match; black goes with everything!’ he echoed Hero’s words to him, a few years back, when Peter looked a little offended that Balthazar had not heeded his advice. 

‘Fine. Just get in the car’ Peter said with a sigh, a smile still playing on his lips, and left Balthazar’s room. ‘Bye, Ben and Freddie! See you on Sunday!’ he called out.  
Ben and Freddie both came out of their respective bedrooms. 

‘Wait, Balthy, you’re going too? I thought this was a family thing’ Ben said when he saw the bag slung over Balthazar’s shoulder and the guitar case in his hand. There was a weird smile on Ben’s face. 

‘Well, yeah, but Balth’s practically a part of my family by now. We really need to go, though. Bye!’ Peter said, motioning for Balthazar to follow him before he went out the door. 

‘See you, guys’ Balthazar said and left Ben and Freddie dumbfound in the flat. 

‘I’ll bet you ten dollars that they’re dating’ Ben said after the door had closed behind Balthazar, and they’d taken a moment to absorb what had just happened. 

‘I’ll take that bet’ Freddie said and shook his hand. 

-

The drive took around four hours from Wellington to Napier. 

Balthazar turned on the radio as a sort of reflex, which resulted in both of them singing along at the top of their lunges to the songs they knew. Once in a while, though, Peter stopped singing and Balthazar could feel his eyes on him. It was a little distracting, and he tried desperately to concentrate on the road during those moments.

After two hours they stopped at a rest stop to stretch their legs and switch. Balthazar had driven the first two hours; Peter would be driving the last two. 

‘So is there anything I need to know about your family?’ Balthazar asked when they were back on the road with Peter behind the wheel. The radio had been turned down so that they could talk to each other. 

‘I don’t think so? I mean, obviously Mum, Dad and John will be there. It’s Mum’s brother’s daughter who’s getting hitched. Angie’s her name. I’m not actually sure what the guy’s called’ Peter frowned the way he always did when he was thinking really hard. 

‘Okay then’ Balthazar said, amused by how little Peter seemed to know about his own family. ‘But why did you tell your aunt that you had a boyfriend if it wasn’t true?’

Peter sighed. ‘She just… She’s one of those people who doesn’t believe that bisexuality is a thing. She called and asked if I needed a plus one invitation and she just sounded so sure that I _wouldn’t_ so I got annoyed and said that I did. You know, I figured I could take Jaquie or something. But then she kept going on and on about how she hoped I’d found a nice _girl_ friend and how the _girl_ I was with better not try and outshine the bride and bla, bla, bla. She just _assumed_ I’d be with a girl. So I told her I had a boyfriend. And, I don’t know, after I’d said it I didn’t want to admit that I was lying.’

Balthazar nodded. He could definitely relate to the stab of annoyance when someone assumed he’d end up with a girl. His grandma still did it once in a while when she was cross with him. 

Peter stole a glance at Balthazar before returning his eyes to the road. ‘Have you changed your mind? Because if this is going to be uncomfortable for you I can call and say we’ve broken down and drive you back home’

‘No, I haven’t changed my mind’ Balthazar reassured him, another rush of affection flowing over him at the thought that Peter would actually do that for him. ‘And I guess I can understand why you did that. Honestly, I’d probably have done the same thing’

Peter raised his eyebrows in disbelief. ‘Really?’

‘No, definitely not’ Balthazar replied and they both laughed. ‘But I do understand your line of thinking’

‘Thanks, Balthy’ Peter said and Balthazar could see a small smile forming on his lips. He looked out the passenger window and tried to hide just how big his own smile was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Peter is aggressively bisexual and I love him very much <3


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived at the hotel half an hour later than planned because they’d taken the wrong turn and had to find their way back with a GPS that kept insisting that the road they were on didn’t exist. They were still in a good mood, though, because the radio had been playing _Out of the Woods_ by Taylor Swift while they’d tried to get back to the main road, which had thrown them into a fit of giggles.

When they pulled into the parking lot Anne, Bill and John were unloading their car. Anne was the first to reach them when they exited the car. 

‘Hi, darling’ she said, giving Peter a hug and a kiss on the forehead. 

‘Hi mum’ Peter said and hugged her back. Balthazar could see how much Peter had missed her just by the way his arms momentarily tightened around her before he released her. She got a good look at her son before she turned to Balthazar who had walked around the car to them. 

‘Balthazar, it’s so nice to see you again!’ she said as she pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back. 

‘You too, Anne’ he said with a grin. Anne stepped away from him, allowing Bill to reach out and shake Balthazar’s hand. 

‘Good to see you, Balthazar’ Bill said, seeming more serious and formal than any other times that Balthazar had been visiting the Donaldson house in Auckland. From Peter and John’s snorts he was apparently doing his ‘I am meeting one of my sons’ significant others’ thing, a thing Balthazar had heard Peter tell him about but not one he’d ever experienced – until now, it seemed. 

‘You too, Bill’ Balthazar said, trying to match Bill’s seriousness but had to fight a laugh. 

Balthazar hugged John hello before they all grabbed their things from their cars and went to check in. 

John had his own room which was adjoined to Peter and Balthazar’s. He came in ten minutes after they’d checked in. Balthazar was sitting cross legged on the bed with his guitar, plucking at the strings, and Peter was lounging on the other side of the bed, his head resting on his hands. 

‘So what are you going to do about the bed situation?’ John asked and sat down on the remaining space on the bed. 

‘What do you mean?’ Peter asked, frowning, and then sighed when John merely raised his eyebrows. ‘We’ve slept in the same bed before. Besides, it’s a big bed. It’s no problem, right?’

He’d directed the last part at Balthazar who smiled and shook his head, continuing to pluck away at the strings. It was true that they’d slept in the same bed before, but the last time they’d done that had been back in Year 12. Yes, Balthazar had had a massive crush on Peter back then, too, but as much as Balthazar had wanted it to, nothing had happened. 

When Peter left the room to go look for a vending machine (‘I need snacks, goddamnit!’), John fixed Balthazar with a stare. 

‘What?’ Balthazar asked when it was starting to make him uncomfortable. 

‘Are you okay? It seems like this could be a bit much for you’ John said, glancing at the door to make sure Peter wasn’t coming back. 

‘I’m fine. It’s like he said: we’ve slept in the same bed before. It’s okay’ Balthazar said, looking John in the eye. 

‘You do seem oddly calm about it’ John said, inspecting Balthazar’s face suspiciously. 

Balthazar shrugged and stopped playing at the strings of his guitar. ‘I guess I’ve just accepted that it’s never going to happen’

‘Wow, you’re giving up without a fight?’ John asked, surprised. ‘I’d expected more from The Mighty Balthazar’

Balthazar just laughed and shook his head at that. 

‘Just promise me one thing’ John said. Balthazar quirked an eyebrow. ‘Promise you won’t take advantage of my brother’

Balthazar hit him square in the face with a pillow and they descended into laughter, at which point Peter came back with his arms full of novelty sized bags of all kinds of snacks. 

-

An hour later all five of them were piled into the Donaldson’s car and pulling up at the side of the road in a nice neighbourhood. They had to walk a bit to get to the house as there were a lot of cars parked near the house they were going to. 

Peter had informed Balthazar that the house belonged to Angie’s parents – Peter’s biphobic aunt and apparently somewhat apathetic uncle – and that: ‘If you don’t bring your guitar you are definitely going to regret it’.

So that’s how Balthazar found himself walking around a big house to the back garden, his guitar case in one hand and Peter in the other. He’d be lying if he said it didn’t make him a little giddy. His hand was tingling at Peter’s touch and there was a constant smile fighting its way onto his face. His heart was pounding, yet he felt completely at ease in this strange place. As long as Peter was holding his hand. 

They were greeted by a couple who were most likely in their mid-50s to early 60s. Anne and Bill both did the polite greetings before moving on to say hello to the rest of the family. John shook their hands, accepting the cursory comments about how tall he’d gotten since they last saw him and how nice it was that he wasn’t wearing all black but had opted for a white button down. After that he swiftly made his way towards the drinks table. 

‘Peter, darling! It’s been too long!’ the aunt said with what Balthazar could only assume was a fake smile. It was so different from how she’d smiled at the others. ‘Who’s your friend?’

‘This is my boyfriend, Balthazar’ Peter said proudly and a little too loud for Balthazar’s taste. Yes, he’d felt a thrill run down his spine at Peter calling him his boyfriend but now almost everyone was looking at him. He ducked his head, trying to hide his blush and shook hands with the uncle and held out a hand to the aunt. Her smile had faltered. 

‘Balthazar. That’s an… interesting name’ she said, not even trying to hide her disgust. 

‘Right, we’re going to go say hi to Angie’ Peter said and took Balthazar’s hand again, having let go of it when he’d made his greetings to his aunt and uncle. ‘Come on, Balthy’

Peter squeezed his hand and Balthazar felt a tug on his heart. God, he was so damn gone for that boy.


	4. Chapter 4

‘So how long have you been together?’Angie asked Peter and Balthazar. 

They’d finished dinner with only a couple of passive aggressive comments from the aunt. However, for every bad word her mother said, Angie said about ten supportive ones. She was nice, Balthazar decided, he liked her. Despite her parents she was a really good person. 

‘Not long’ Balthazar replied just as Peter was saying: ‘A while’

They looked at each other for a moment, panic spreading through Balthazar’s body. He had a sudden feeling that they’d not coordinated nearly enough. In fact, they’d completely neglected talking about what they’d say to Peter’s family as well as how much PDA they were each comfortable with. So far Balthazar had just done what came naturally to him, but what if he did something that made Peter uncomfortable? 

But then Peter took his hand, intertwining their fingers and smiled at him before turning to Angie. Balthazar’s insides melted. 

‘That’s to say, we haven’t officially dated very long, but we practically dated for years before that’ he explained. ‘Like, we were best friends and we flirted, and we danced around it for a ridiculously long time before I plucked up the courage to ask him out’

Balthazar couldn’t do anything but look at Peter with a look of utter affection. The truth was, that was how he wished it had gone. God, it was way too easy playing Peter’s fake boyfriend.

‘You should have seen them, Angie’ Anne injected herself into the conversation. ‘It was driving me mad! It was _so obvious_ they were in love with each other, even before they moved to Wellington. I can’t tell you how relieved I was when I heard they’d finally gotten together!’

Peter’s ears were turning an alarming shade of red and Balthazar felt his cheeks grow hot as well. 

‘Whenever Balthazar was over for dinner you could cut the romantic tension in the room with a kni-‘

‘Oh, my god, Mum!’ Peter interrupted her, standing up and pulling Balthazar with him away from the table. Balthazar found Peter’s embarrassment a little endearing.

Peter dragged him down a path to a beach. As soon as they were out of view of the party, Peter let go of his hand, and he couldn’t deny that his heart dropped a little. They sat down in the sand and watched the waves rolling onto shore for a few minutes. 

The sun was setting. It was kind of romantic, to be honest.

‘You do realise that everyone will think we’re down here making out, right?’ Balthazar asked with a grin. He was pulling at his sleeve, a nervous habit. He really wouldn’t mind if that was how they ended up spending their time.

‘Yeah, sorry about that. And I’m sorry about my mum; I actually had no idea she’d be like that’ Peter said, his blush returning. He ran a hand through his hair. 

‘Anne Donaldson: Embarrassing Mum. Who would’ve thought, huh?’ Balthazar laughed. ‘It’s fine, though. It added to the deception, I guess’

‘Right. Yeah. I guess’ Peter agreed. He was drawing circles in the sand with a twig. 

They sat in silence for another few minutes. It was one of Balthazar’s favourite parts about Peter: silences were never awkward with him. It had always been enough to just be in the same room or sit together on what may or may not be a private beach on a spring night, watching the waves engulf the sand before retracting. 

‘I’m sorry about my aunt. I wouldn’t have brought you if I knew she’d be like that’ Peter said, breaking the silence. 

‘I’m sorry you’re related to her, even if it is just by law. I’d hate to think about you having to take that alone. So I’m glad you brought me. Besides, Angie’s nice’ Balthazar said, his eyes fixed on the waves. He could, however, feel Peter looking at him. 

‘Thanks, Balthy’ he said. 

Balthazar bumped their shoulders together. ‘Eh, what are friends for if not to help you cope with your bigoted relatives?’

Peter smiled to himself. ‘You know, I used to spend two weeks here every summer’

‘Yeah?’

‘Yeah. Remember the year I came home from holiday with a broken leg?’

Balthazar nodded. Everyone had signed the cast; Balthazar had written an embarrassing poem on it. He cringed inwardly at the memory. 

‘We were playing tag down here and I slipped on those rocks down there’ Peter explained and pointed at a gathering of rocks not far from where they were sitting. ‘It was less fun coming down here when Angie moved away, though’

‘Now _that_ I believe’ Balthazar said and leaned back on his hands, watching the pink sky. 

-

After about half an hour they made their way back to the party. Peter took Balthazar’s hand just before they came into view of any members of his family. Balthazar’s chest fluttered.

They sat down with John who was in conversation with a couple of Angie’s fiancé’s friends. They said they were there mostly for moral support as his family wouldn’t be arriving until the following day. 

‘So are you guys at university?’ one of the guys, whose name Balthazar didn’t catch, asked. 

‘Yeah’ Peter replied. ‘Well, Balthy and I are’

‘What are you studying?’ 

‘History and music, mainly, for me’ Balthazar said.

‘Yeah? You play any instruments?’

Both Peter and John snorted at the question, but Balthazar just smiled.

‘I play a few. I’m best at guitar and piano, though. And the ukulele, of course. Those are the ones I play most’

‘I’d love to hear you play sometime’ said the guy, leaning forwards. Really? Was he actually flirting with Balthazar? Peter seemed to pick up on it too, since he placed a hand on Balthazar’s knee. Balthazar had to concentrate hard not to react physically, his chest fluttering again. He swallowed to try and concentrate on anything but where Peter’s touch was burning through his jeans.

‘Didn’t you bring your guitar?’ John asked Balthazar who in turn nodded. 

‘Oh man, bust it out! Play some tunes!’ said one of the guys who’d been pretty quiet up until then. 

Balthazar retrieved his guitar and started plucking at the strings, playing some generic chord progressions. The guys seemed to love it and soon they started requesting songs.

Feeling a little more like himself with an instrument in his hands, he looked at Peter who was staring at him with a warm, loving look in his eyes. He sure was a great actor.

-

After the guys had bailed and taken Angie’s fiancé with them, Angie joined Balthazar, Peter and John. She slumped back in her chair.

‘If I have to listen to Marge tell another story about how she found love in some rural part of India again, I am going to scream’ she complained. ‘It’s all she ever talks about!’

‘Now, see, that’s not true’ Peter said. ‘She also talks about her million dogs’

‘If you bring that up in her vicinity this weekend, I’m going to strangle you. Don’t test me, mister!’ Angie threatened with a smile. ‘Anyway, I heard you playing earlier, Balthazar. You’re really good!’

‘Thanks’ Balthazar said with a shy smile, his cheeks growing hot. He’d never get used to people complimenting his music. 

‘He’s amazing, isn’t he?’ Peter said, looking at Balthazar with that loving look again before turning to Angie. ‘He writes his own songs, too’

‘Ooh, can I hear one?’ Angie asked, perking up a bit, sitting up straighter in her chair. 

‘Yeah, sure’ he replied and picked up his guitar again.

He considered playing ‘An Ode’ just to mess with Peter but ended up playing ‘New Beginning’ instead. 

‘Wow. I should have known you were that good sooner! I’d have asked you to play at the wedding tomorrow’ Angie said when the song was over. ‘Pete, you’ve found yourself a keeper’

Peter’s ears once again turned red and Balthazar felt his cheeks grow hot. 

A voice inside Balthazar was screaming: ‘YEAH, SO WE SHOULD TOTALLY DATE FOR REAL’.

-

They were back at the hotel around midnight. 

Balthazar had been yawning for an hour and had almost fallen asleep on Peter’s shoulder when Bill came up to them and told them that it was time for them to head back. 

John didn’t linger in Peter and Balthazar’s room, just told them good night and closed the door to his own room as soon as they’d gotten there. 

Balthazar sleepily brushed his teeth with a lazy smile on his lip. Sure, it had only been for a show but he’d never been able to touch Peter as much as he had that night. He hadn’t had to repress impulses to take his hand or lean against him. He’d even allowed a content sigh escape him as Peter had wrapped his arms around him and kissed the top of his head. It had all felt so natural and nice. 

And the comments from Anne and Angie, as well as a few other members of Peter’s family, about how good they looked together just added to Balthazar’s sleepy bliss. Maybe, by the end of the weekend, Peter would make a move for real. The thought made Balthazar light headed.

He spit out the last bit of toothpaste and exited the bathroom. He stopped when he saw what Peter was wearing, though, because it was almost the exact same thing that he, himself, was wearing: a pair of flannel bottoms and a T-shirt. Sure, Balthazar was wearing a washed out Mumford & Sons T-shirt and Peter was wearing a tight Lord of the Rings shirt, but it was still a beautiful coincidence. 

‘Well, one of us will have to change’ Balthazar joked.

They both stated laughing, shushing each other because they didn’t want to wake up John. Balthazar crawled underneath the covers while Peter went to brush his teeth.

As he was drifting off to sleep, he went through the night one more time in his mind. He’d really enjoyed being Peter’s boyfriend. 

Which, he realised, was not good at all. Oh god, what if Paige had been right? What if Peter _didn’t_ make a move tomorrow? What if it all just _was_ an act to Peter? How would he actually feel on Sunday when they left this little vacuum where, to Peter’s family, Balthazar was Peter’s boyfriend. How crushed would he be when they went back to reality in less than two days?

Maybe he wasn’t as okay as he’d told John earlier. Maybe he hadn’t completely accepted that nothing was going to happen. Maybe he was too in love with Peter to be satisfied with just _playing_ his boyfriend.

Fuck. This was bad.

He vaguely registered the bed being weighed down by his side as Peter lay down with a: ‘Night, Balthy’. He vaguely registered that the covers were not two covers but one big one. He vaguely registered how much he wished that Peter would scoot over and put his arms around him as he drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

There was an annoying, generic alarm playing, pulling Balthazar from a dream in which Peter had actually taken him to the beach to make out. Somewhere in the distance a shower was running. The annoying alarm kept playing. Balthazar pulled his pillow over his head to try and drown out the sound, screwing his eyes shut. It didn’t work. 

‘Turn it ooooooff!’ he whined, his eyes still closed, his voice raspy from disuse. 

The running shower was turned off and a moment later, the sound of feet running across the room. The annoying alarm stopped. 

‘Sorry, bro. I completely forgot to turn off my alarm when I got up’ Peter’s voice prompted Balthazar to open his eyes. The ‘bro’ had stung just like it always did. A constant reminder that he was in the "bro-zone", as Ben had so eloquently called it one late night when the two of them had talked about their respective feelings for Bea and Peter.

Peter was only wearing a towel and was dripping wet. Balthazar had to concentrate not to stare. Sure, they’d had P.E. together for years so it wasn’t the first time he’d seen Peter like that, but it was certainly the first time in a long time. 

‘You okay?’ Peter asked when Balthazar didn’t say anything, just sat there and tried not to stare at him.

‘Mhm’ Balthazar managed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes in an attempt to look away. ‘Need coffee’

‘Of course. We’ll go down in a minute. Just let me finish my shower first’ Peter smiled, and Balthazar nodded. He tried not to look at the curve of Peter’s back as he walked back into the bathroom. 

While Peter finished his shower, Balthazar took the opportunity to put on some clothes. He’d shower after they’d had breakfast. The clock on the bedside table read 8:37am, which was not at all an ideal time for Balthazar to wake up on a Saturday. He stretched to wake up his body a bit more as Peter exited the bathroom, fully clothed. 

The breakfast buffet was 10 minutes from being cleared away when they got there so they piled their plates high with what was left and filled their cups with coffee. They were almost completely alone, save for a few elderly women who were nattering away. 

‘You ready for today?’ Peter asked as he was munching on a piece of toast with jam. 

‘Ask me in an hour’ Balthazar said and yawned. ‘I might have to go back to sleep when we get back to our room’

‘Sorry, you can’t’ Peter said, looking genuinely sorry. ‘Mum insisted we all go for a morning walk together. We’re supposed to meet up with them straight after breakfast’

‘I think I read somewhere that it isn’t healthy to be too active straight after you’ve eaten’ Balthazar tried to reason but Peter just laughed and shook his head at him. 

‘That’s swimming, which is a myth, so it doesn’t work either way’

Balthazar took a big gulp of his coffee in response. When he’d finished his cup he knew it wasn’t enough so he got up to refill it. Only, the machine wasn’t working. 

‘Oh, sorry, love. We just turned it off’ said a member of the kitchen staff. 

Balthazar grumbled and went back to his seat by Peter. 

‘Hey, what do you think you’re doing?’ Peter asked when Balthazar picked up Peter’s half full coffee cup. 

‘You woke me up at this ungodly hour on a Saturday. If you want me to play the part today, you have to sacrifice your coffee’ Balthazar muttered and gulped down the lukewarm liquid. 

-

They met up with Anne, Bill and John after finishing their breakfast and embarked on a walk around the town. Peter was faithfully holding Balthazar’s hand and Balthazar’s hand was tingling once again; his chest fluttered. 

For a moment, Balthazar forgot that it wasn’t real, and he found himself feeling incredibly content with life. This was one of his happy places: Peter holding his hand as they walk through the streets of a strange town, Anne and Bill in front of them, John falling into step with them, making jokes. 

Peter bought him a coffee when they passed a coffee shop and got himself a hot chocolate. Another wave of affection crashed over Balthazar, because this was once again a thing Peter was doing because he knew and cared about him, not because he had to play a part. Oh, he’d be so fucked when they left tomorrow.

They went into a music store where Balthazar got to try out a guitar that was way out of his price range. He played the instrumental version of ‘Sigh Not So’ and Peter smiled knowingly at him. He got some new strings for his own guitar since he’d noticed they needed changing the night before. 

He was perusing the drum sets when he caught a bit of Peter and John’s conversation. 

‘…he basically said he’d given up. I think this is his way of letting it go. You know, giving it his all before…’

‘Fuck. He really said that?’ Peter sounded distressed. Balthazar made an effort not to hope that the conversation was about him. They’d seen and talked to a lot of people – a lot of couples – last night. He tuned out the rest of the conversation, concentrating on the instruments. 

-

It was noon before they got back to the hotel. The walk and the extra coffee had woken Balthazar up a little more. They’d collectively decided to have a light lunch since they’d be eating pretty much the rest of the day at the wedding. 

When they got to their room, Balthazar showered as Peter lay down on the bed watching cartoons. Balthazar exited the bathroom, fully showered and in a pair of skinny jeans and a white undershirt, to find Peter asleep on top of the bed. He stood there for a moment, taking in just how adorable Peter looked when he slept before he went to his side of the bed and threw his pillow at him. 

‘Hey!’ Peter said, disoriented for a moment before he registered where he was and what had happened. His eyes came to rest on Balthazar and he smiled as he chucked the pillow back at him. 

‘Get up, sleepy head, you need to get ready!’ Balthazar said, laughing, as Peter settled back down to go back to sleep. When Peter didn’t react, Balthazar threw the pillow at him again.

‘Alright, alright! Geez. I’m up!’ Peter said and sat up, stretching. 

Balthazar tried to not stare at the spot where Peter’s shirt lifted and revealed bit of his stomach. His chest definitely didn’t flutter as he failed to look away.


	6. Chapter 6

‘Are you ready yet?’ Peter asked, appearing in the doorway to the bathroom. Balthazar stuck his tongue out at him. That was the fifth time in as many minutes he’d asked that question. 

‘Good hair takes time!’ Balthazar told him, turning back to the mirror. 

‘Maybe for some’ Peter teased, checking his own hair in the mirror beside Balthazar. 

‘Save me your insults, Donaldson. Do you want your fake boyfriend to have bad hair?’ Balthazar asked, still adjusting the spikes so that they looked a little less like bed head and a little more like cool hair. 

‘Does my fake boyfriend want to make us late? Because he will succeed if he continues to fiddle with his hair’ Peter insisted, a smile on his face. Balthazar pushed him playfully before stepping back for a final look. Then he walked out of the bathroom and pulled on his suit jacket.

‘Are you coming?’ he asked Peter who was still in the bathroom. He was staring at Balthazar but somehow seemed to be lost in thought. 

‘Yeah’ 

-

Anne insisted on getting pictures before they left for the wedding. 

‘We have hardly any pictures as a family since Peter left home!’ she explained when John, Peter, and Bill all protested. ‘And we haven’t had a picture taken where we’re dressed up like this since Aunt Ellen’s wedding!’

‘I was 13 when Aunt Ellen got married’ Peter informed Balthazar in a whisper. 

Balthazar smirked. ‘So you still had your mullet?’ he teased. 

‘Shut up!’ Peter said, his ears turning red. 

They found a good spot outside the hotel by some bushes to take the pictures. Balthazar took one of the Donaldsons. Peter took one of Anne and Bill. Anne took one of Bill and the boys, then just Peter and John. Then she turned to Balthazar who had avoided being in a single picture so far. 

‘Can I have one of you and Peter too?’ she asked in a pleading voice. 

Balthazar made eye contact with Peter who shrugged so Balthazar went over and stood beside Peter. Peter took his hand as if it was automatic. It was a nice feeling and Balthazar had no trouble smiling for the picture. 

They ended up taking more than a few pictures with Balthazar in them. One with him, Peter and John. One with just Balthazar (‘You need a new profile picture on Facebook, dear’). Another five of him and Peter standing in various poses. 

‘Alright, darling, that’s enough’ Bill said when she was instructing them to stand in a generic American prom pose. ‘If we don’t leave now we’ll be late for the ceremony’

-

Angie was getting married in a garden with an ocean view. It wasn’t her parents’ garden but it might as well have been. 

It was stunning. White and red flower petals had been strewn down the aisle which was flanked by several rows of white chairs. At the end of the aisle stood an arch covered in rose vines, the roses in full bloom. 

The Donaldsons were shown to one of the rows in the middle and Balthazar ended up with Peter on one side and John on the other. Peter had been, as Balthazar was realising was the usual for the weekend, faithfully holding his hand and didn’t let go when they sat down. 

Balthazar had decided to let himself enjoy the show along with everyone else in regards to him being Peter’s boyfriend. If this was the only full day he got in his entire life to get a taste of what it was like to date Peter Donaldson, he’d make it count. 

To hell with how heartbroken he’d be when they went back to the awkwardness and tension that was the Wellington flat. He knew it wouldn’t last so this day was all about making memories of what it would be like if he and Peter had for real been dating. 

-

The ceremony went off without a hitch. Balthazar had expected as much since what he’d seen of Angie and her fiancé the previous night had been nothing but unquestionable love. 

Angie was radiant, and though Balthazar didn’t really know her, he was glad that she’d gotten the love of her life. 

Peter was still holding his hand. 

While the minister had done his thing, talking about how love will allow you to live forever in each other, Anne leaned in and whispered something in Peter’s ear which at the same time made him blush and made his face fall. He tried to cover it up with a smile but Balthazar had noticed. He hadn’t caught what Anne had said but he was more than a little curious to find out. 

‘What was it your mum said to you back there?’ Balthazar asked when they’d arrived at the reception venue and were both provided with a welcome drink. 

‘What?’ Peter asked, as if he’d been preoccupied, before his ears turned a deep shade of red. ‘Oh, she was just being Embarrassing Mum again’

Balthazar wanted to press him further on the issue but in that moment one of Peter’s uncles came up and started talking to Peter about football. 

-

They were seated at a table with John and two siblings who said they were relatives of the groom, but Balthazar didn’t catch how. 

‘So you’re Angie’s….?’ asked the guy, Theo. He was gesturing with his cutlery and didn’t seem overly interested in the answer. 

‘Cousins’ John replied without looking up from his food. ‘Our mother is Angie’s aunt’

‘Oh’ Theo said and furrowed his brow, looking between John, Peter and Balthazar. ‘I thought she only had two kids’

‘Oh, I’m not related to anyone here’ Balthazar clarified and sipped his wine. 

‘He’s my date!’ Peter declared with the same pride he’d sported the night before. It made Balthazar’s stomach swoop. Date. He tucked the words into the back of his mind so that he could pull them out on bad days. 

Theo got that look on his face that Balthazar knew all too well. He was trying to hide his disgust. 

‘That’s… different’ he finally said. 

Peter clenched his jaw, his perfected glare pointed at Theo, gripping his cutlery tight.

‘Theo, be nice!’ The girl, Ophelia, told him before turning her attention to Peter and Balthazar. ‘Please excuse my brother. So how did you meet?’

Peter seemed to relax a little but Balthazar couldn’t help but worry. Peter hadn’t been out as long as Balthazar had so he wasn’t as used to the general bigotry that simply came with not being straight.

‘We went to high school together’ Balthazar said, smiling at Ophelia to help her diffuse the tension a little.


	7. Chapter 7

Peter vanished almost straight after desserts. He got up, informing Balthazar that he was going to the bathroom and then didn’t come back. After an hour, in which Balthazar himself had been to the bathroom with no sign of Peter, Balthazar decided to send him a text to see if he was okay. 

He still wasn’t back by the time the newlyweds had their first dance. It stung a bit, Balthazar had to admit. Peter had asked him to be his date to the wedding only for him to disappear halfway through the reception. Great. Granted, he’d asked Balthazar to be his fake date, but it still stung. 

Theo and Ophelia had abandoned the table as well in order to go find some of their own relatives. Despite Ophelia and Balthazar’s efforts, Theo kept the tension high. That may have been why Peter had left the table to begin with, Balthazar mused. But then why hadn’t he taken Balthazar with him? And why had he not answered Balthazar’s text?

‘So are you okay?’ John asked him after they’d sat alone at the table in comfortable silence, watching the people around them for a while. ‘I know you said you were fine yesterday, but that was before you had played the part’

Balthazar considered it for a moment. Was he okay? 

‘Yeah, I’m alright’ he said after a moment. ‘I have been thinking, though’

‘Yeah?’ John asked, quirking an eyebrow, encouraging Balthazar to go on. 

‘I think I’ll find a flat with Kit next year. You know, get out of living with Pete. I think that would be best’ he said, watching an elderly lady flirting blatantly with Theo. He had to admit that it amused him to see Theo squirm a little despite having just met him. 

John nodded, thinking it over. ‘Yeah, I think that would be good for you. Have you told Peter?’

‘Nah, I only decided today. I’ll say it at the next flat meeting’ Balthazar said, smiling at John. It was nice having him to talk to about it. He was always calm and collected, logical, and despite being Peter’s brother, he was seemingly unbiased whenever he and Balthazar talked about Balthazar’s feelings for Peter. It was refreshing. 

John smiled back at him, a touch of sadness in his eyes, and looked like he was about to say something when he was pulled up by the arm by Anne who insisted she wanted to dance with him. John tried to protest but Anne was on a mission so he had no choice but to go with her to the dance floor. 

Balthazar watched them for a moment, a smile on his face. John’s long limbs were not made for dancing, and he looked generally displeased with the situation, though Balthazar could tell he was secretly having a good time. Anne and John had not always had the best relationship but it seemed to be improving which was good. 

‘Balthazar! Come dance with me!’ Angie said, standing in front of him, offering him her hand. 

‘You don’t want to do that’ he laughed self-deprecatingly. ‘I have two left feet’

‘You’re a musician; you’re bound to have some sense of rhythm. Besides, I’m the bride and you do not deny the bride anything on her wedding day!’ she insisted, taking a hold of Balthazar’s hand and pulling him onto the dance floor. ‘See, you’re doing really well!’

Balthazar just laughed at her and concentrated on not stepping on her dress. 

‘Balthazar, I’m going to be straight with you because I’m a little bit drunk, and when I’m drunk I get this urge to tell people the truth!’ Angie said halfway through the song they were dancing to. 

‘Alright, what’s up, Angie?’ Balthazar asked, laughing a little at how serious she tried to keep her face. 

‘I have known Peter his whole life, right? Like, I remember coming to visit him and Aunt Anne at the hospital when he was just a tiny baby. Like, I’ve actually known him _his whole life_. 

He – and John when he came to live with them – used to come down here every summer to visit, right? We used to talk about girls and boys and tell each other secrets. Like, we were the Wonder Cousins. We actually called ourselves that!’ She stopped her rambling to giggle at the inventive name. 

Balthazar laughed too. He could imagine little Peter running around Angie’s parents’ garden with a towel as a cape, pretending to be a super hero. 

‘Anyway’ Angie said, composing herself. ‘I even met Olivia, did you know her?’

Olivia was Peter’s only real girlfriend. They’d dated for all of Year 12 so of course Balthazar knew her – that was the year he became best friends with Peter. 

‘Yeah, she was nice’ Balthazar said, not sure what else to say. He’d liked Olivia, he’d just not liked the fact that she’d gotten to kiss Peter when he hadn’t. He knew that wasn’t her fault, but that didn’t change the fact that it had stung seeing them be all affectionate to each other around him. 

‘Yeah, he brought her down the summer they broke up – before the actual break up, obviously. I think maybe they broke up the day before they left here but that’s another story. 

My point is that Peter liked her a lot, yeah? It was obvious to anyone with eyes. But when I saw you two together last night, I realised that I hadn’t actually seen Peter in love before. 

The way he looks at you; it’s like you’re the only thing that matters in the world. That’s love, man!’ She looked like she was about to cry. 

Balthazar’s heart was pounding. Either Peter was an exceptional actor or…

No, he’d made his decision. He was not going to pine for Peter anymore. The fact that Peter hadn’t made a move on him yet was proof enough that he didn’t want to be with him. It was time for Balthazar to take the hint. 

Still, he had to play the part of the fake boyfriend so he let himself show the amount of affection he felt at Angie’s words. There wasn’t anything he could do about the smile on his face, anyway. He did look down, though, feeling shy. 

‘You’re in love with him too, aren’t you?’ Angie asked, her voice softer than before. He looked up and met her gaze. She had a fond smile on her face. 

‘Yeah’ he allowed himself to say. ‘Yeah, I really am’

Her smile widened and she pulled him in for a hug, stopping their dance momentarily. ‘I’m so glad he found you’ she whispered into his ear before pulling back. ‘High five for having found love!’

He high fived her, though he felt a stab in his chest. Because yes, he’d found the love of his life, but he wasn’t going to have the happy ending that Angie had gotten. 

‘So where are you going for your honeymoon?’ he asked to distract her from the subject of Peter. As much as he loved talking about him, he couldn’t deny the sting reminding him that it would be over soon.

It worked. She started telling him enthusiastically about their plans to tour Europe, the subject of which kept her taking for about three songs.

‘Mind if I cut in?’ Angie’s husband tapped Balthazar’s shoulder. 

‘Not at all’ Balthazar said and let Angie dance with the love of her life. 

He stood awkwardly alone on the dance floor for a few seconds before an elderly woman – though a different one from the one who’d been coming on to Theo earlier – swooped in and high jacked him into dancing with her. 

‘You’re my grandson’s gay friend, right?’ she asked, leading him around the dance floor. He was momentarily stunned by the label. He’d never actually been anyone’s “gay friend”. His sexuality had never been a definer of him. He’d always been the “musician”, if anything. 

‘Is your grandson Peter?’ Balthazar asked, fighting a smile. 

‘He is indeed’ the woman replied. 

‘Then yes, I am’ he said, smiling at her. ‘I’m Balthazar’

‘Balthazar?’ she mulled over the name. ‘I like it. It’s a name you remember. Biblical, too, if I’m not mistaken’

‘Yeah, my parents are into special names, I guess’ he humoured her. She was not like Balthazar had imagined Peter’s grandmother at all, but he liked her nonetheless. He could see where Anne had gotten her enthusiasm for people from. 

‘I’m Edna’ she told him. 

‘Very nice to meet you, Edna’ Balthazar said, smiling at her. She smiled back. 

‘I like you, Balthazar. You’re polite; more young men should be like you, I think’ she said and he couldn’t help but let out a slight laugh. ‘Peter should bring you to my birthday party next month; I’ll be 80!’

She seemed so excited by this fact, which was somewhat refreshing. Balthazar hadn’t missed the middle aged women all commenting on how old they felt that the next generation was starting to get married. Edna beamed with excitement when she talked about her birthday. 

‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world’ he told her and enjoyed her smile at that. 

‘Mind if I cut in?’

It was the second time that night, Balthazar heard those words, but this time Edna was the one being tapped on the shoulder. It was Peter. 

‘Of course, dear! Go, dance, be in love!’ Edna said, kissed Peter’s cheek and let him take over. 

In that moment, _Thinking Out Loud_ by Ed Sheeran started playing. Peter looked at Balthazar with a question in his eyes and Balthazar shrugged and put his arms around Peter’s neck. He was not going to miss making a memory of dancing to a romantic song with Peter for his memory bank. He could always use the excuse that he had to sell the story of him and Peter dating. This trip was about making the most of the opportunity, right?

Peter put his arms around Balthazar’s waist and they started swaying on the spot. 

_And, darling, I will be loving you ‘till we’re 70_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have started updating faster because I'm really excited about these chapters. Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got too excited. Here's an early chapter. I really like this one, myself.

_People fall in love in mysterious ways_

‘So what exactly did you tell my grandma you wouldn’t miss?’ Peter asked after a moment, pulling Balthazar out of his momentary bliss about actually slow dancing with Peter Donaldson. The 13 year old inside him was freaking out.

_Me, I fall in love with you every single day  
And I just wanna tell you I am_

‘Her birthday party next month. She invited me personally’ Balthazar replied with a slight laugh. Peter laughed with him. 

‘Don’t worry, I’ll make up some excuse when the time comes so you don’t have to go’ Peter assured him. It felt a little like a punch in the gut and reminded Balthazar once again that this bubble of getting to be affectionate with Peter would burst when they left the following day. 

‘Oh, but I was so excited to go!’ Balthazar mock-whined. Peter laughed; Balthazar’s heart fluttered. Man, this trip was a never-ending roller coaster of emotions.

_Maybe we found love right where we are_

It wouldn’t be out of place to kiss him. The thought struck Balthazar suddenly. In fact, it would be seemingly natural. If Peter wasn’t into it, he could always use the excuse of wanting to really sell their fake relationship to his family. 

_When my hands don’t play the strings the same way  
I know you will still love me the same_

‘Wanna go outside?’ Peter cut through his thoughts. It was an echo of a night that seemed to have happened so long ago, but in reality it had been less than a year.

Balthazar nodded. 

Peter took his hand and led him off the dance floor. Balthazar caught Angie’s eye – she winked at him; he felt his cheeks grow hot. 

When they got outside, Balthazar realised just how hot it had been inside the venue. He breathed in the cool spring night air. 

Peter let go of his hand; his heart dropped. 

They sat down on a bench not far from the door. The quiet of the outside was a stark contrast to the booming music inside which was bleeding into the night. 

_So baby now  
Take me into your loving arms_

‘I’m sorry about that Theo guy’ Peter said after a moment, leaning forwards, elbows resting on his knees. 

‘Don’t apologise for him, man. He’s a dick, but that’s not your fault; you’re not even related to him!’ Balthazar said, leaning back against the backrest, looking at the back of Peter’s head. 

‘He’s a dick alright’ he said bitterly. 

A moment of silence again. 

_Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars_

‘Where’d you disappear off to?’ Balthazar asked, eyes still fixed on the back of Peter’s head. 

‘Ben called. Him and Bea were having some stupid argument again and wanted me to mediate’ Peter laughed. It wasn’t the whole truth, Balthazar could tell. But he accepted it. Peter didn’t have to tell him everything. ‘Sorry that I left you alone, though’

‘Nah, I wasn’t alone. I had a chat with John – before your mum pulled him onto the dance floor’ Balthazar said, laughing a little at the image. ‘And then Angie insisted I dance with her’

Peter let out a laugh. A beat of silence. The song had ended and faded into _6 Months_ by Hey Monday. 

_Don’t mind me if I get weak in the knees, ‘cause you have that effect on me_

‘I like your family. You know, apart from the obvious bigots’ Balthazar said and looked up at the stars. The sky was clear of clouds so there were a lot of them to look at. It was beautiful. 

‘Yeah, they like you too. I haven’t heard anything all night except how much they love you’ Peter said. Balthazar couldn’t read his tone which was a little frustrating since he couldn’t see his face. He thought maybe he could have a smile in his voice?

‘I’m glad I made a good impression’ Balthazar said, looking at Peter as he leaned against the backrest as well. Their shoulders were pressed together, hot at the contact.

‘Thanks again for doing this, mate. I really appreciate it’ Peter said, turning his head slightly but looking down. Was he looking at Balthazar’s hands?

‘Yeah, no problem’ Balthazar said, trying to swallow down his heart which was now in his throat. The moment felt like an important one in The Story of Peter Donaldson and Balthazar Jones, and he wasn’t sure what to do. He drew a deep breath, trying to ease his heart rate. Angie’s words were echoing in his head. _The way he looks at you; it’s like you’re the only thing that matters in the world_. He tried to push them away. ‘You ready to go back in?’

Balthazar moved to get up but Peter grabbed his lower arm. 

‘Wait, Balth’ he said and Balthazar turned to look at him. The way Peter was looking at him was making it hard for him to ignore the flutter in his chest. ‘Just…’ Peter whispered, his eyes flickering to Balthazar’s lips.

Balthazar’s breath caught in his throat and he started to, slowly, lean in. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage; he felt light headed. He could feel Peter’s breath on his chin.

_Meant to be together, meant for no one but each other  
You love me; I love you harder, so…_

‘There you are! Come on, the newlyweds are leaving!’ Anne’s voice interrupted the intense moment and they pulled away from each other, both looking down at their hands. ‘Come now, lovebirds! Come see the happy couple off!’

Peter cleared his throat. ‘Yeah, coming, mum!’ he called, a touch of annoyance in his voice. 

Balthazar got up and held out a hand to Peter. ‘We should go in’

‘Yeah’ Peter said, hesitantly taking Balthazar’s hand and getting up as well. 

As they were seeing off Angie and her husband, Balthazar still couldn’t seem to slow down his heart rate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: I put in the song lyrics to set the mood *after* I'd written the chapter, not realising that they were actually about to kiss under the light of a thousand stars. So there's that.


	9. Chapter 9

Balthazar woke up on Sunday with a bad taste in his mouth, literally. He had a dull headache but no hangover. Since they were driving back today, neither he nor Peter had gotten drunk at the wedding. Still, he’d evidently not been hydrated when he went to bed, otherwise his head wouldn’t have hurt. 

He sat up in the bed, running a hand through his hair and looking around the room. Peter was nowhere in sight and there was no noise from the bathroom. 

Peter had been acting weird after their moment on the bench. He’d been less keen on PDA than he had been the entire weekend, and when they’d gotten back to their room, he had quickly brushed his teeth and gone to bed without a word, his back turned to Balthazar. 

There had been a moment where he’d started saying something that may have been the beginning of a conversation about what happened, but then Anne had dragged him onto the dance floor before he’d gotten more than two words out. 

After that, Peter had just been quiet and awkward around Balthazar.

It wasn’t anything Balthazar hadn’t expected before the trip but in light of what had happened that night, it had stung a little. Scratch that, it stung _a lot_.

Balthazar fell back down on the bed and sighed deeply, his arm draped over his eyes. He’d been so sure yesterday that he was going to be able to take another few months in the flat before moving out, but now he wasn’t so sure. He had to speak to Paige – and Kit, of course – about it when they got back to Wellington. 

The door to the room opened, and when Balthazar turned his head to see who it was, Peter entered with a big to-go cup in his hand. He was wearing his red flannel and sunglasses. It made him look stupidly good, the bastard. 

‘Balth? You up?’ Peter asked softly as if not wanting to wake him if he had been sleeping. 

‘Mmh’ Balthazar mumbled and fixed his eyes on the ceiling. 

‘I got you coffee’ Peter said tentatively and set the cup down on Balthazar’s bedside table. 

‘Thanks’ Balthazar mumbled, refusing to look at Peter. If he was going to get over him, he had to start trying right now. 

‘Mum wants to buy us lunch before we leave’ Peter said, sitting down on his side of the bed, turning on the TV. 

Balthazar sat up and reached for the coffee. So he had to play Peter’s stupid, fake boyfriend for a few more hours. Well, that was just _fine and dandy_.

‘What time is it?’ he asked Peter after taking a big gulp, trying to ignore the wave of affection at the thought that Peter had bought him coffee. Again. How dared he?

’11:30, so ideally Mum wants us to meet up at the reception area in half an hour but I can push it back if you want more time to get up’ Peter said, his eyes fixed on the TV. 

‘Nah, I can do it in half an hour. Just let me have a shower first, yeah?’ Balthazar said, gulping down more of his coffee. He really just wanted the rest of the trip over with.

‘Yeah, sure’ Peter said, seeming very interested in whatever reality show MTV was showing. 

-

Half an hour later Balthazar and Peter had checked out of their room, put their stuff in Peter’s car and were walking down to a nearby café with Anne, Bill and John.

Peter was once again faithfully holding his stupid hand, which was once again stupidly tingling. 

Balthazar had half hoped that Peter would bring up the almost kiss of the previous night because it was all he could think of, but they hadn’t spoken more than necessary the whole morning. In fact, Peter had pretty much ignored Balthazar in favour of the TV. 

Balthazar didn’t make an effort to join in on the conversation, which wasn’t exactly unusual for him but it still got Anne’s attention when they’d gotten their food.

‘Are you okay, Balthazar?’ she asked, frowning in concern.

‘Yeah, just tired. Long night last night’ he replied and tried his best at a smile. It seemed to work. 

‘Of course. Not everyone is built to be around people constantly for a whole day’ she said understandingly. 

It was true that he had been exhausted from being around people he didn’t know for a whole day, and that this still very much was affecting him so it hadn’t been a complete lie. But he was getting a little sick of the charade he and Peter were putting on. He wasn’t sure anymore if it had been worth it. 

‘Did you see Marge actually dancing on one of the tables, though?’ John asked which sparked a long debate about which family member had been the most drunk.

Balthazar shot John a grateful smile. John gave him a sympathetic nod. 

-

‘I really don’t want to let you go!’ Anne said, hugging Peter goodbye by the car. 

‘We could stay but we both have classes tomorrow’ Peter said, his arms still around his mother. 

‘I know, I know’ she said and pulled back, putting her hands on his face. ‘Promise you’ll call more – or at least pick up the phone’

‘I promise, mum’ Peter said. 

She kissed his forehead and turned to Balthazar who she also enveloped in a hug, squeezing tightly. 

‘Don’t be a stranger when you come back to Auckland’ she told him and then whispered. ‘Thank you for making my boy so happy’

Balthazar smiled at her when she pulled back and tried to hide how much of a blow the last comment had felt like. Of course, she didn’t know it’d been all fake but somehow that just made it worse. 

‘I promise to stop by when I come home this summer’ he assured her, although he wasn’t sure he’d be able to make himself do that if he was going to get over Peter. ‘It was really good to see you, Anne’

‘You too, darling! It was so lovely of you to come along’ she said and hugged him again, kissing him on the forehead before letting him go. 

‘Take care, Balthazar’ Bill said and shook his hand, placing a hand on his elbow. 

‘You too, Bill’ Balthazar said, and with a nod, Bill let go of his hand. 

John gave him a hug and uncharacteristically squeezed his shoulder as he was pulling away. They shared a look of understanding – John understanding that Balthazar would be pulling away from the Donaldsons from now on and a mutual understanding that they were going to miss each other, because both knew that Balthazar would need to pull away from John for a while too. 

With a wave at the three Donaldsons standing in the parking lot, Balthazar got behind the wheel, Peter got into the passenger seat and they started their drive from Napier to Wellington.  
 


	10. Chapter 10

Tension was high in the car as they drove through the New Zealand landscape. The radio was on but neither of them was singing along – not even when it played Mumford & Sons. 

Balthazar felt Peter’s eyes on him every once in a while, but every time he chanced a look at him, Peter resolutely turned to look out of the passenger side window. 

The moment on the bench from the night before as well as Angie’s words were on replay in Balthazar’s mind. He’d been foolish to think that he’d just be able to neatly tuck their exchanges of affection into a box in his mind and then be able to get over his feelings for Peter. All it had done was make Balthazar fall further in love with Peter and that fact made Balthazar _angry_. 

He was angry at himself for not listening to Paige and John when they’d tried to talk him out of it. He was angry at Paige and John for not trying _harder_ to talk him out of it. He was angry at Peter for asking him to do this in the first place, and for being so convincingly good at acting like he was in love with Balthazar – and then almost kissing him and refusing to talk about or even acknowledge it the next day. More than anything he wished he could go back to Wednesday evening and stand his ground and refuse to go along with this _stupid_ plan. 

A good while passed like that, the only thing breaking the silence being the radio – the volume of which was turned down quite low – before Peter drew a deep breath. 

‘Are you okay?’ he asked. Balthazar tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white.

‘Fine’ he mumbled.

A few minutes passed where Peter just sat there, studying Balthazar. It made him feel uncomfortable, and frankly, it just fuelled his anger. How could Peter not understand what was wrong?

‘Alright, pull into the next rest stop’ Peter then said, turning his gaze to the road. ‘We’re switching’

‘Why?’ Balthazar demanded. ‘We’re not halfway yet’

‘I know, but driving angry is not a good idea, and you’re clearly angry about _something_ -‘

‘Are you fucking kidding me?!’ Balthazar said. He wanted to throw Peter out of the window. 

‘Look, just… pull over, alright?’

About a kilometre later, Balthazar pulled into a rest stop and immediately exited the car. He sat down on top of a picnic table and put his head in his hands. He really wanted this trip to be over. Now.

Peter sat down beside him. ‘So what’s up? Did I do something?’

‘Are you actually being serious right now?’ Balthazar asked, lifting his head to look at Peter. 

‘Well, yeah, if I don’t know what’s bothering you I can’t do anything about it’

‘Unbelievable’ Balthazar muttered to himself. Yes, he and Peter had a habit of ignoring things that they should probably just talk about. Yes, their standard reaction to something as big as an almost-kiss was to pretend it never happened, but this was too huge and it had messed too much with Balthazar’s head. ’Are we going to talk about what happened last night at all? Or are we just going to ignore it like we always do?’

‘What? No! I-‘ Peter stuttered, evidently not sure what to say. ‘I- I didn’t think-‘

‘What? You didn’t think _what_?!’ Balthazar prompted him.

Peter opened and closed his mouth before looking down at his hands, frowning. ‘I didn’t want to make things awkward. I was going to talk to you about it when we got back to Wellington. You know, so we didn’t have to sit through four hours of awkwardness. I wanted to give you the option to walk away if you needed it.’

Balthazar kept his eyes locked on Peter, trying to quench the wave of affection once again washing over him. He was angry at Peter. He didn’t want to be softened by his thoughtfulness. 

‘Well, as much as I appreciate the sentiment, I’d rather we talk about it now’ he said, looking out ahead of him. 

‘Okay’ Peter said, drawing a deep breath, seemingly steeling himself. ‘So… how… do you feel… about… it?’

Balthazar couldn’t help but laugh at how ridiculous the question sounded.

‘Really?’ he asked disbelievingly, looking at Peter who shrugged insecurely. Balthazar fixed his eyes on a tree head of them. ‘Alright, I’m confused. Because I had kinda prepared myself for the idea of kissing you to sell the story to your family but we were all alone out there. And, like, you kinda made it clear that the PDA was purely for your family but then…’

He heaved a frustrated sigh, rubbing the ridge of his eye and then looked at Peter again. Peter was staring at Balthazar, but his face was unreadable. 

‘I should have never gone on board with this plan. What a huge fucking mistake that was!’ he then said when Peter still didn’t say anything. 

‘So why did you?’ Peter asked, very obviously hurt. 

‘Because you asked, Pete!’ Balthazar wasn’t exactly yelling but he was pretty close. He got up and started pacing in front of Peter. ‘I _knew_ I would feel this way by the end of the trip but you asked me to do it so _of course_ I did!’

Peter didn’t say anything, just stared at Balthazar again. 

‘And then you bought me coffee, and Angie had to say that _stupid_ thing while we were dancing, and then we almost kissed, and for a moment I thought, “maybe this time something will happen” but then nothing did, _just like last time_!’

‘Wait, hold up! What did Angie say? And what do you mean by “last time”?’ Peter asked, confused, getting up, and taking a step towards Balthazar who was now pulling his sleeve over his hands. He hadn’t meant to say the last part. 

‘You know’ he mumbled, looking down at his shoes. ‘At the party. At Bea and Hero’s party at the end of Year 13. We were in Hero’s room with Ben and John, and you asked me to go outside but then Bea intercepted us so nothing ever happened.’

‘Bro-‘

‘DON’T CALL ME BRO’

He hadn’t meant to yell. He just hated that _stupid_ word. They held each other’s gaze for a moment.

The silence that followed just highlighted how unusual it was for Balthazar to yell. He was a little embarrassed and looked down at his shoes.

‘Balth, I-‘ Peter started, taking a step closer but Balthazar moved back. 

‘Look, can we just get this over with so I can start moving on?’ Balthazar asked, still not looking up. 

‘Get what over with?’ Peter asked softly. 

Balthazar felt a lump in his throat and tears pressing on. This was it, he could feel it. This was the beginning of the end of The Story of Peter Donaldson and Balthazar Jones. His chest felt tight.

‘Just tell me you don’t have any romantic feelings for me’ Balthazar whispered, blinking away tears, though one managed to escape down his cheek. 

‘I can’t tell you that’ Peter said and stepped closer to him, lifting his chin so that Balthazar was forced to look him in the eye. He wiped away the traitor tear with his thumb. ‘Because I am very much in love with you, Stanley Balthazar Jones’

Balthazar took a moment to process what had just happened before his face broke into a huge grin.

‘I am very much in love with you too, Peter Adrian Donaldson’ he said, basking in the smile spreading across Peter’s face at his words.

For a moment they just looked at each other. 

Then Balthazar grabbed onto the collar of that _stupid_ flannel that made him look so _stupidly_ good, and pulled him in for a kiss. 

Peter snaked an arm around Balthazar’s waist, pulling him closer, and cupped his face with his other hand. Balthazar held on tight to Peter’s shirt, pouring everything he had into the kiss. Peter responded in full force. 

When they broke apart some time later, both a little breathless, they leaned their foreheads against each other, eyes still closed. Balthazar was bursting with happiness, his heart beating as fast as Peter’s, a fact he knew because he could feel it against his own chest. 

‘You know what this means, right?’ Peter asked a moment later, not moving away. 

‘What?’ Balthazar asked, beaming at him. 

‘You have no excuse not to go to my grandma’s birthday party next month’ Peter said and they burst out laughing.


	11. Chapter 11

‘I’m still really confused, though’ Balthazar admitted. They were sitting together on the picnic bench with their arms around each other, Balthazar’s head resting on Peter’s shoulder. 

‘About what?’ Peter asked, running his fingertips up and down Balthazar’s arm. 

‘If you already had feelings for me, why didn’t you just ask me to be your real date to the wedding?’ Balthazar asked, lifting his head to look at Peter with a smirk. ‘Or did you have some sort of revelation sometime this weekend?’

Peter let out a laugh. ‘Nah, I’ve been in love with you for a while’ he said, taking Balthazar’s hand and intertwining their fingers. The butterflies in Balthazar’s stomach migrated to every inch of his body. ‘I guess I was scared you’d say no? Like, I was pretty sure you’d moved on already’

‘Really?’ Balthazar laughed.

‘Yeah. I mean, you got back together with Damien more or less straight after the apology party so I figured you’d gotten over me’ Peter said, looking down at their hands.

‘Fair point’ Balthazar conceded and put his head back on Peter’s shoulder. ‘I guess it was an attempt at that, to be honest. It didn’t work, though, which is why I broke up with him’

There was a moment where neither of them spoke. Peter started threading his fingers through Balthazar’s hair. It was intoxicating. 

‘I was going to move out of the flat’ Balthazar said after a few minutes. ‘I decided yesterday’

Peter stopped running his fingers though his hair for a moment before tentatively resuming. ‘Do… do you still want to do that?’

‘I don’t know. I’ll stay for the rest of the year, but… it depends’

‘On what?’

‘On how you and I are doing by then’ Balthazar said, lifting his head to look at Peter again. 

‘Are you saying you don’t think we can handle living together as a couple?’ Peter asked nervously. 

‘I don’t know. Maybe.’

‘Balth, if we can live together while being pining messes, I’m sure we can do it as boyfriends’ Peter laughed. Balthazar’s chest fluttered at the word ‘boyfriends’.

‘Hmm… I still want to see how it goes. Let’s just leave it open for now, yeah? That way there’s no pressure’ Balthazar said, squeezing Peter’s hand. They smiled at each other. Peter leaned in for a soft kiss. 

-

Balthazar’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He and Peter were in the middle of a pretty heated make-out session, where Balthazar was practically in Peter’s lap, so Peter felt it too. Balthazar pulled it out and checked the message. Peter read along over his shoulder. 

Paige Moth:  
 _How was the wedding? Are you okay?_

‘Do we tell people?’ Balthazar asked, looking at Peter. 

‘Do you want to tell people?’

‘Well, yeah, but if you don’t, I’ll be okay with keeping it secret for a while’

Peter laughed. ‘Balth, I want the whole world to know that I’m dating the Mighty Balthazar Jones’ he said and Balthazar felt his cheeks grow hot. ‘Besides, my whole family technically knows so there’d be no use in trying to keep it secret anyway’

‘That’s a good point’ Balthazar said and kissed Peter’s lips. Just because he could. 

Balthazar:  
 _The wedding was great. I’m great. Pete suggested we double date sometime, you up for that?:)_

‘You little liar!’ Peter said in mock-offence. Balthazar chuckled. ‘Nice, subtle way to tell her, though’

‘Yeah, it was either that, or “PETER IS NOW MY BOYFRIEND OMGOMGOMG’ in all caps’ Balthazar half-joked. ‘But I figured that would make it sound like I’m 13 so, you know’

Paige Moth:  
 _Are you for real?! That’s amazing! Tell Peter hi from me and Chels and that we’re 100 % on for a double date! <3_

-

‘So since we’re confessing stuff, I feel like I should tell you why I left you alone for so long last night’ Peter said. He was lying down, eyes closed, his head in Balthazar’s lap and Balthazar was running his fingers through Peter’s hair. 

‘It was because Ben called you, right?’ Balthazar asked, though he’d known that hadn’t been the whole truth. 

‘Well, yeah. He and Bea were having some argument about tea vs. lemonade or whatever and wanted me to mediate, but that only took around half an hour. I kinda called Jaquie afterward’ Peter admitted. He opened his eyes and looked up at Balthazar. ‘I needed her to psyche me up to kiss you’

Balthazar couldn’t hold back his laugh. ‘You needed a pep talk?’

‘Hey now!’ Peter said and poked Balthazar in the side. ‘Don’t judge me!’

‘I’m not, I’m not!’ Balthazar said, calming down. ‘I think it’s cute’

-

‘We should tell John’ Peter said after a while, his head still resting in Balthazar’s lap. ‘He thinks you’re heartbroken’

‘Well, I kinda was this morning. But yes, we should. Will you text him or should I?’

‘I have a better idea; let’s call him!’ Peter said and looked up at Balthazar who raised his eyebrows. Peter had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

‘He’s in a car with your parents who are very much unaware that we weren’t dating until an hour ago’ Balthazar reminded him. 

Peter sat up and started pulling his phone out of his pocket. ‘Exactly! It’ll drive him mad, it’s perfect!’

Balthazar shook his head at his boyfriend. ‘You’re unbelievable’

Peter stuck his tongue out at him and pressed call on John’s number. Then he put it on speaker so that Balthazar could be a part of the conversation. 

‘Hello?’ John said as he answered the phone.

‘Hey bro, how are you?’ Peter asked casually. Balthazar tried to repress a laugh and shook his head at Peter. 

‘No different from when you last saw me. Why are you calling?’

‘Well, Balthy and I just wanted to let you know that we’re for real dating now’ Peter told him, beaming at Balthazar as he did. 

‘Okay’ John’s tone of voice hadn’t exactly changed but Balthazar could tell that he was happy to hear it. ‘When did that happen? In the car, just now?’

‘Nah, we’re at a rest stop somewhere off Dannevirke. We stopped about an hour ago and had a chat’ Balthazar piped up. At the last part he looked at Peter who smiled at him. 

‘Oh, okay’ John said. ‘Good’

‘Who’re you talking to, honey?’ Anne asked John. 

‘It’s just Pete. Apparently him and Balthazar have been at a rest stop for an hour for no apparent reason’ John said, and Balthazar and Peter had to try and stifle their laughter. 

‘Well, it was good talking to you, man. We just wanted you to know’ Peter said when they’d calmed down a bit.

‘Yes, well, I’ll talk to you later’ John said. 

‘Will do’ Peter said and hung up. 

Less than a minute later Balthazar’s phone buzzed in his pocket. 

John Don:  
 _Congratulations. It was about damn time!_

-

‘Wait a minute, you never told me what Angie said to you’ Peter said when they were back on the road. They’d spent a long time at the rest stop making out and talking. As it turned out, the thing Anne had whispered to Peter during the ceremony had been something along the lines of: _Maybe in a few years it’ll be you and Balthazar up there_.

‘Oh, she just told me that you were very obviously in love with me’ Balthazar smirked. Peter reached out and shoved him gently. ‘I swear! She said she’d never seen you look at anyone like you look at me. Then we high fived about having found love, which felt a bit… you know, but I did it’

Balthazar looked over at Peter whose ears had turned a deep shade of red. 

‘I can’t wait to go to an event with your family – I just know JoJo will have so many embarrassing stories to tell!’ Peter said and narrowly avoided Balthazar who’d made a half-hearted attempt at swatting him. ‘Listen, there is an imbalance, that’s all I’m saying!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some fluff :)
> 
> Also, when I was looking up the route between Napier and Wellington, I noticed that Dannevirke is apparently a place in New Zealand, which made me extremely happy (because I am from Denmark and Dannevirke is a significant historical place in Denmark) so I just *had* to include it somehow.


	12. Chapter 12

When they pulled into the parking lot near the flat two hours later, neither of them made a move to get out of the car right away. 

‘What do we tell them?’ Balthazar asked. It was something they hadn’t realised they’d have to deal with when they’d talked at the rest stop. 

It felt like they’d talked about just about everything important – at least anything that needed to be out there from the get go – but somehow they’d neglected to talk about what to tell Freddie and Ben. 

‘I don’t know’ Peter said. ‘Do you want them to know?’

Balthazar laughed. ‘We can’t exactly hide our relationship from our flatmates. The question is: _how much_ do we tell them?’

‘Right’ Peter agreed. ‘How about we just tell them what they need to know? Like, that we spent the weekend with my family and then we got together?’

Balthazar considered this. ‘Yeah, that sounds good’

They left the car, grabbed their stuff and walked up the steps to the flat. Before going in, though, Peter pulled Balthazar in for another kiss. 

‘I’ve wanted to do that since Ohau’ he said quietly with a small smile. 

-

Ben and Freddie had seemingly been waiting for them to get back. They were both seated in the living room, talking, but without the standard laptop playing some film or show. They stood up when Peter and Balthazar entered. 

‘I thought you said you’d be back this afternoon!’ Ben said, sounding like a parent chastising his children for breaking curfew. 

‘”Hi guys, how was your trip? You must be tired from driving for so long. We made you tea”’ Peter said, most likely more to himself but just loud enough for everyone to hear, while he went to put his stuff in his room. Balthazar couldn’t help but laugh.

‘We left later than planned’ Balthazar lied, wanting to keep the rest stop thing strictly between him and Peter. Well, and John, but John could keep a secret. 

He went and put his things in his room, setting his guitar carefully on its stand and changing into his pyjamas before going back out into the living room. 

He sat down next to Peter on the couch and accepted the mug of tea that Ben put in front of him. His leg was pressed against Peter’s. They shared a smile which they tried to hide behind their mugs. 

‘So…?’ Ben asked after apparently not being able to wait for Peter and Balthazar to start talking of their own accord. 

‘So… what?’ Peter asked and Balthazar rolled his eyes at him, though he couldn’t deny Peter’s teasing of Ben amused him a little. 

‘So Ben seems to be under the impression that the two of you are, like… dating?’ Freddie said.

‘Word travels fast, huh?’ Balthazar said, not able to hide his smile. He knew Ben had suspected them of secretly dating since before they moved to Wellington.

‘So you are dating?’ Ben asked excitedly. Both Peter and Balthazar nodded. Ben’s smile widened, but then he frowned and turned to Peter. ‘Then why did you deny it when I asked you about it last night?’

‘Because last night we _weren’t_ dating. Well, not really’ Peter said and bumped Balthazar’s knee with his own at the last part. Balthazar let out a laugh. 

Ben and Freddie looked at them, confused for a moment before Freddie turned to Ben. 

‘That means I won the bet!’ she exclaimed. 

‘Um, no, they’re definitely dating’ Ben turned to Peter and Balthazar. ‘You are definitely dating, right?’

‘Yes, Ben’ Balthazar said, trying not to laugh. 

‘Yes, but they didn’t start dating until today and since we made the bet on Friday, when they weren’t dating, technically, that means I won’ Freddie reasoned. 

‘Wait a minute, you bet on whether we were dating or not?’ Peter asked, offended. 

‘Well, yeah’ Ben said. Peter fixed him with one of his glares. ‘You were going to a family event with your family _together_ , what were we _supposed_ to think?’

‘You were _supposed_ to mind your own business-‘

Balthazar stood up, not really wanting to listen to that argument. ‘Right, I’m going to bed’ he said and walked to his bedroom door. Before going in, though, he turned around and said: ‘You coming, Pete?’

Peter beamed and nodded, going with him into Balthazar’s room. 

‘So that went well’ Peter said after he’d closed the door behind him. ‘Can you believe that bet, though?’

‘Well, yeah. This is Ben we’re talking about’ Balthazar reminded him as he was crawling into bed. ‘I’m actually quite impressed at how little he’s meddled in our relationship while we’ve lived here’

‘Okay, yeah’ Peter said, getting into bed as well, kissing Balthazar’s forehead as he wrapped his arms around him. It was so natural for them to settle in together. ‘A _bet_ , though?’

‘Pete, let it go’ Balthazar pleaded. ‘If it really bothers you that much, you can talk to him about it tomorrow. Right now I really just want to fall asleep with my boyfriend’

‘Alright, I’ll let it go’ Peter said, tightening his grip around Balthazar. ‘Good night, Balthy’

‘Night, Pete’

That night might have been the third in a row that they slept in the same bed, but it was the first one where Balthazar fell asleep with his head on Peter’s chest and Peter’s arms around him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting close to the end. I don't know if I'm ready for it.


	13. Epilogue

‘We’re going to be late’ Balthazar mumbled against Peter’s lips but made no attempt at getting up. Not that he had any choice in the matter; Peter was lying half on top of him.

‘Mmh’ Peter said, kissing him. ‘They’ll get over it’

It had been a little over a month and Balthazar still couldn’t quite believe that Peter Donaldson was his boyfriend. He had daydreamed about this countless times since the first time he’d been over at Peter’s house; the two of them laying in bed, half naked under the covers, making out lazily.

They were in Auckland for the weekend, staying at Peter’s parents’ house, and they were supposed to be getting ready for Edna’s 80th birthday party. However neither of them had left the bed all morning, revelling a little in the fact that Ben wasn’t around to come barging in at any moment. 

Balthazar had his arms around Peter’s neck and his fingers threading through his hair. Peter was caressing Balthazar’s cheek with his thumb. Balthazar could honestly stay like that all day. 

There was a knock at the door. 

‘Time to get up if you want time to shower, love birds!’ Anne called from the hallway. 

Peter groaned and buried his face in the crook of Balthazar’s neck – he didn’t find her nickname for them quite as funny as Balthazar did – before lifting his head and calling, over his shoulder: ‘We’ll be out in a minute!’

Balthazar laughed at his exasperated tone and kissed his cheek before rolling out from under him. He stood up and reached out a hand to Peter. 

‘Come on, you lazy boy’

‘Ugh, okay. But only because you asked so nicely’ Peter said and took Balthazar’s hand and getting out of bed, wrapping his arms around Balthazar’s waist. ‘We could claim to be sick and stay home in bed all day, you know’

‘What, both of us?’ Balthazar asked with a laugh. Peter raised his eyebrows. ‘Yeah, because that wouldn’t be suspicious at all’

Peter huffed. ‘Spoilsport’ he said but then kissed Balthazar’s nose before going to get some clothes from his bag.

‘Hey, you know I’d love to but I promised Edna I’d come to her birthday party’ Balthazar said with a grin. 

‘I can’t believe you’re on a first name basis with my gran when I haven’t even met yours’ Peter said, shaking his head.

‘What can I say, I’m a charming guy’ Balthazar joked, waggling his eyebrows.

‘Don’t I know it’ Peter said with a fond smile on his face, and pulled Balthazar in for another kiss, drawing it out while his fingertips were running up and down Balthazar’s spine. Balthazar shivered. 

‘Now, Peter!’ Anne called from the hallway again.

Balthazar laughed at how Peter had jumped a little at his mother’s voice.

‘I swear she keeps interrupting us on purpose!’ Peter grumbled.

‘She’s just making sure we won’t be late’ Balthazar reasoned, fishing an outfit out of his bag. ‘And on that note, we’d better get dressed’

-

‘Balthazar, how nice of you to come!’

‘I told you I wouldn’t miss your birthday party, Edna’ Balthazar said, hugging her.

‘Peter, if you don’t marry this boy someday, I will!’ Edna said as she hugged her grandson. Peter’s ears turned red, and Balthazar felt his chest flutter. The thought of one day – in the distant future, mind you, neither of them were ready for marriage just yet – marrying Peter was exhilarating. The mere fact that it was a possibility was enough for now, though.

‘Happy birthday, gran’ Peter merely said and kissed her cheek. 

Peter and Balthazar walked hand in hand, fingers intertwined, making their rounds at the party. Balthazar recognised some of the people from the wedding, but in truth he hadn’t had the chance to talk to that many of them so he had to rely on Peter to subtly remind him who they were. They all seemed to remember Peter’s boyfriend, though. 

‘Anne tells me you’ve lived together since before you started dating. How’s that working for you?’ asked a lady who Balthazar thought was Anne’s aunt, but he couldn’t be sure. He was also completely blanking on her name. 

‘We’re managing’ Peter said, giving Balthazar’s hand a squeeze. 

Yeah, for now at least, things were going great. The tension in the flat had definitely diminished massively, though Ben had a habit of bursting into Balthazar’s room – which was quickly becoming _their_ bedroom – at inappropriate times. They’d gotten into the habit of locking the door.

Honestly, Balthazar was loving living with Peter so far. He hadn’t even given the idea of moving out a thought for weeks. Waking up to Peter every morning was just too damn good. Maybe he’d even suggest he and Peter find their own place next year. It was an idea he’d been toying with lately.

‘Peter! Balthazar!’ Angie’s voice cut through Balthazar’s thoughts. She was sitting by the fire pit alongside her husband. Her hair was a bit lighter and her skin a bit tanned, and she was absolutely _glowing_. 

‘Hey Angie! How was the honeymoon?’ Peter asked her as he gave her a hug. Balthazar did the same before they sat down by the fire as well, Balthazar automatically leaning against Peter, who put his arms around him and kissed his temple. 

‘It was absolutely amazing! We actually got to see Hans Christian Andersen’s grave in Copenhagen! Can you believe that? And I cannot recommend Rome enough; it’s such a beautiful city! Anyway, how’ve you guys been?’ She asked, a sparkle in her eyes. 

‘We’ve been really great, actually’ Balthazar said, not able to hide his smile and not particularly committed to trying. He had no reason not to be happy. 

It hit him how similar, yet very different, the whole situation felt from the last time they’d been at one of Peter’s family’s events. To Angie and the rest of Peter’s family, nothing about Peter and Balthazar had changed – except maybe this time there was a little more PDA than before – but to Balthazar, everything was different. 

Last time, he realised, he’d not been able to really relax, not wanting to overstep a line with Peter. Yes, he’d done what had come naturally to him, but he’d still held himself back. He’d thought that the way they acted when they’d been fake boyfriends had been a look at what it would be like if they were actually dating. 

Now, though, he admitted to himself that it had merely been the tip of the iceberg. 

Sure, they’d held hands, Peter had called him his boyfriend and complimented him, and it had been absolutely thrilling. But now that they were actually dating, there was so much more than that. And it had mostly to do with the fact that there was a confidence behind the actions. They both knew that the signs of affection were real; they were for them alone, private moments in a public setting as opposed to carefully thought out signals sent to the people around them. The loving looks they sent each other were for them alone, not for the benefit of selling a story. 

A little over a month ago, Angie had made him high five for having found the loves of their lives, and now Balthazar found himself wanting a do-over, because back then – to him – it had been tinged with a sense of sadness because he hadn’t believed he would be able to get his happy ending. 

Now, as they were sitting by the fire and telling stories, Balthazar finally felt the way Angie had no doubt thought he’d felt at her wedding. 

-

At some point after darkness had fallen, Peter had pulled Balthazar away from the party and suggested they go for a walk. Hand in hand, they walked down a path in a wooded area not far from Edna’s house. They reached a big tree, and Peter stopped, prompting Balthazar to stop as well. 

He turned to face Peter who pulled him in close and kissed him.

‘You led me into the woods to make out?’ Balthazar laughed when he pulled away.

‘Yep’ Peter said unapologetically and kissed him again. 

‘You are unbelievable, Donaldson’ Balthazar smiled against his lips. 

‘Mmh’ Peter just mumbled, not seeming very interested in talking.

Balthazar wrapped his arms around Peter’s neck as he kissed him back. He still got a bit light headed when he felt Peter’s fingers in his hair or on his waist. He couldn’t quite believe that this was actually happening; that Peter’s body was pressed against his own. 

‘You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you something’ Peter said in between kisses. 

‘Yeah?’ A kiss. ‘What’s that?’ Another. 

Peter pulled away and looked Balthazar in the eye. His eyes sparkled in the darkness, honesty, confidence, and something resembling sheer joy reflected in them as he seemed to take in Balthazar’s face.

‘I love you’ he then said, and Balthazar felt a warmth spread through his body that was so very different from the warmth they’d felt from the fire back in Edna’s garden. He was glad that Peter’s arms were around his waist, holding him up, because his knees went a little weak. Every inch of his body was tingling, a goofy smile spreading on his face. 

‘I love you too, Pete’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it. The story is done. It's going to be weird not having to post a new chapter tomorrow. Thanks for all the love and comments - they've made it even more fun than I thought it would be to post a multi chapter story.  
> I hope you enjoyed reading along as I definitely enjoyed writing it!


End file.
